Canada and Israel 'Side-by-Side'

An Iranian attack on Israel would be considered as an attack on Canada, a senior minister said. “A military strike is the last possible option.”

Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu, 15/02/10 15:22 | updated: 15:36

The Canadian "maple leaf" flag

Israel news photo

An Iranian attack on Israel would be considered an attack on Canada, according to Peter Kent, Canada's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the Americas and a legislator from an Ontario community with a large Jewish population.

He told Shalomlife.com, “Canada has been concerned for some time not only about brutal repression of civil rights in Iran but also about the nuclear adventurism and the proclaimed quest of nuclear weaponry by President [Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad.”

Canada has been one of Israel's staunchest allies, and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper last week called for a coordinated international effort to halt "the grave danger" of Iran's pursuit of nuclear capability. Both Harper and Kent condemned Iran for human rights abuses.

“Prime Minister Harper has made it quite clear for some time now and has regularly stated that an attack on Israel would be considered an attack on Canada,” said Kent. “We work with our allies. We regularly convey our concern in a variety of ways, at the United Nations, as well as one on one... We certainly share information and views with the government of Israel and with other democracies.”

Kent also favors placing sanctions before resorting to a a military attack on Iran, which he said “is the last ”possible option but remains in the broad range of options and unfortunate possibilities.”

Concerning sanctions, Kent pointed out that they should be put into effect so that they punish the Iranian regime and not the citizens. “Unilateral sanctions tend to be much less effective than when we impose sanctions in concert with other countries,” explained Kent. “We have had some sanctions for some time on equipment and materials related to the making of nuclear weapons, but it may soon be time to intensify the sanctions and to broaden those sanctions into other areas, such as economic areas which we hope would discourage Iran from its current course.

“Very often the people who suffer when sanctions are imposed are the most innocent in any society and that is always a consideration.”